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March 16 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 290 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem , replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king.1190 - Crusaders start to massacre the Jews of York ; many Jews commit suicide rather than submit to baptism.1249 - The Servite Order is officially approved by Cardinal Raniero Capocci, papal legate in Tuscany .1322 - The Battle of Boroughbridge takes place in the First War of Scottish Independence .1521 - Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines .1621 - Samoset , a Mohegan , visits the settlers of Plymouth Colony and greets them, "Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset."1660 - The Long Parliament disbands.1689 - The 23rd Regiment of Foot or Royal Welch Fusiliers is founded.1792 - King Gustav III of Sweden is shot; he dies on March 29 .1802 - The United States Military Academy at West Point is established.1812 - Battle of Badajoz (March 16 - April 6 ) - British and Portuguese forces besiege and defeat French garrison during Peninsular War .1815 - Prince Willem of the House of Orange-Nassau proclaims himself King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , the first constitutional monarch in The Netherlands .1818 - Battle of Cancha Rayada - Spanish forces defeat Chileans under José de San Martín .1861 - Edward Clark became Governor of Texas , replacing Sam Houston , who was evicted from the office for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy .1865 - American Civil War : The Battle of Averasborough begins as Confederate forces suffer irreplaceable casualties in the final months of the war.1867 - First publication of an article by Joseph Lister outlining the discovery of antiseptic surgery , in The Lancet 1872 - The Wanderers F.C. won the first FA Cup , the oldest football competition in the world, beating Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1-0 at The Oval in Kennington , London .1900 - Sir Arthur Evans purchases the land around the ruins of Knossos , the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete .1912 - Lawrence Oates , ill member of Scott 's South Pole expedition leaves the tent saying, "I am just going outside and may be some time."1916 - The 7th and 10th US cavalry regiments under John J. Pershing cross the US-Mexico border to join the hunt for Pancho Villa .1924 - The free port of Fiume is formally annexed by Mussolini's fascist regime.1926 - History of Rocketry : Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket , at Auburn, Massachusetts .1935 - Adolf Hitler orders Germany to rearm herself in violation of the Versailles Treaty . Conscription was reintroduced to form the Wehrmacht .1939 - From Prague Castle , Hitler proclaims Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate .1939 - Marriage of Princess Fawzia of Egypt to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran .
1942 - History of Rocketry: The first V-2 rocket test launch (exploded at liftoff).1943 - The Royal Navy Isles Class Trawler HMS Campobello Sinks in the Atlantic.1945 - World War II : The Battle of Iwo Jima ends but small pockets of Japanese resistance persist.1945 - Würzburg , Germany is 90% destroyed, with 5,000 dead, in only 20 minutes by British bombers.
1950 - Communist Czechoslovakia 's ministry of foreign affairs asked nuncios of Vatican to leave the country.1952 - In Cilaos , Réunion , 1,870mm (73 inches) of rain falls in one day, setting a new world record.1958 - The Ford Motor Company produces its 50 millionth automobile, the Thunderbird , averaging almost a million cars a year since the company's founding.1962 - A Flying Tiger Line Super Constellation disappears in the western Pacific Ocean , with 107 people missing.1963 - Mount Agung erupts on Bali , as 11,000 die.1966 - Launch of Gemini 8 , the 12th manned American space flight and first space docking with the Agena Target Vehicle .1968 - Vietnam War : In the My Lai massacre , between 350 and 500 Vietnamese villagers: men, women, and children are killed by American troops.1968 - General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado .
1971 - Government of Trygve Bratteli in Norway .1976 - British Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigns, citing personal reasons.1978 - Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped by left-wing terrorists and is later killed by his captors.1978 - Supertanker Amoco Cadiz Brittany , resulting in the 5th-largest oil spill in history.
1983 - Demolition of the radio tower Ismaning , the last radio tower in Germany built of wood .1984 - William Buckley , the CIA station chief in Beirut , Lebanon , is kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists and later dies in captivity.1985 - Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut . He is released on December 4 , 1991 .1988 - Iran-Contra Affair : Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.1988 - Halabja poison gas attack : The Kurdish town of Halabjah in Iraq was attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents , killing 5000 people and injured about 10000 people.
1995 - Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment , becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery . The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865.1997 - Sandline affair : On Bougainville Island , soldiers of commander Jerry Singirok arrest Tim Spicer and his mercenaries of the Sandline International .1998 - Pope John Paul II apologises for the inactivity and silence of some Roman Catholics during the Holocaust .2003 - The largest coordinated worldwide vigil takes place, as part of the global protests against Iraq war .2005 - Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control.2006 - The United Nations General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to establish the UN Human Rights Council .
Births
1338 - Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick (d. 1401 )1445 - Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg , Swiss-born preacher (d. 1510 )1473 - Henry IV the Pious , Duke of Saxony (d. 1541 )1581 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft , Dutch historian and writer (d. 1647 )1585 - Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero , Dutch writer (d. 1618 )1631 - René Le Bossu , French critic (d. 1680 )1654 - Andreas Acoluthus , German orientalist (d. 1704 )1687 - Sophia Dorothea of Hanover , queen consort in Prussia (d. 1757 )1750 - Caroline Herschel , German-born English astronomer (d. 1848 )1751 - James Madison , 4th President of the United States (d. 1836 )1773 - Juan Ramón Balcarce , Argentine military leader and politician (d. 1836 )1774 - Captain Matthew Flinders , English explorer of the coasts of Australia (d. 1814 )1789 - Georg Simon Ohm , German physicist (d. 1854 )1794 - Ami Boué , Austrian geologist (d. 1881 )1800 - Emperor Ninko of Japan (d. 1846 )1805 - Peter Ernst von Lasaulx , German philosopher and writer (d. 1861 )1822 - Rosa Bonheur , French realist painter and sculptor (d. 1899 )1834 - James Hector , Scottish geologist (d. 1907 )1839 - René François Armand Sully-Prudhomme , French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907 )1839 - John Butler Yeats , Northern Irish artist (d. 1922 )
1840 - Shibusawa Eiichi , Japanese industrialist (d. 1931 )1846 - Gösta Mittag-Leffler , Swedish mathematician (d. 1927 )1851 - Martinus Beijerinck , Dutch microbiologist and botanist (d. 1931 )1856 - Napoléon Eugène Louis John Joseph , called Napoleon IV, the only child of Emperor Napoleon III of France (d. 1879 )1857 - Charles Harding Firth , British historian (d. 1936 )1859 - Alexander Stepanovich Popov , Russian physicist (d. 1906 )1865 - Patsy Donovan , Irish-American baseball player (d. 1953 )1869 - F. A. Forbes , Scottish author (d. 1936 )1877 - Reza Shah Pahlavi , Shah of Iran (d. 1941 )1878 - Clemens August Graf von Galen , German archbishop and cardinal (d. 1946 )1889 - Reggie Walker , South African athlete (d. 1951 )1890 - Solomon Mikhoels , Soviet actor and chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (d. 1948 )1892 - César Vallejo , Peruvian poet (d. 1938 )1892 - James Petrillo , leader of the U.S. musicians union (d. 1984 )
1897 - Conrad Nagel , American actor (d. 1970 )1883 - Ethel Anderson , Australian poet (d. 1958 )1901 - Edward Pawley , American actor (d. 1988 )1902 - Leon Roppolo , American jazz clarinetist (d. 1943 )1903 - Mike Mansfield , American politician, and diplomat (d. 2001 )1905 - Elisabeth Flickenschildt , German actress (d. 1977 )1905 - Marlin Perkins , American naturalist (d. 1986 )
1906 - Henny Youngman , American comedian (d. 1998 )1906 - Francisco Ayala , Spanish writer
1908 - René Daumal , French Surrealist writer (d. 1944 )1908 - Robert Rossen , American film director, screenwriter and producer (d. 1966 )
1911 - Dr. Josef Mengele , German, accused Nazi war criminal (d. 1979 )1911 - Pierre Harmel , Belgian politician
1912 - Pat Nixon , First Lady of the United States (d. 1993 )1916 - Mercedes McCambridge , American actress (d. 2004 )1917 - Samael Aun Weor , Colombian writer (d. 1977 )1918 - Frederick Reines , American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998 )1920 - Leo McKern , Australian actor (d. 2002 )1920 - Traudl Junge , Hitler's secretary (d. 2002 )
1920 - John Addison , British composer (d. 1998 )
1920 - Dorothea Binz , Nazi war criminal (d. 1947 )
1922 - Harding Lemay , American television scriptwriter and playwright1925 - Luis E. Miramontes , Mexican chemist, co-inventor of the combined oral contraceptive pill (d. 2004 )1926 - Charles Goodell , American politician (d. 1987 )1926 - Jerry Lewis , American comedian
1927 - Vladimir Komarov , Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1967 )1927 - Daniel Patrick Moynihan , U.S. Senator from New York (d. 2003 )
1927 - Olga San Juan , American comedian
1928 - Christa Ludwig , German mezzo-soprano1928 - Karlheinz Böhm , Austrian actor
1929 - Nadja Tiller , Austrian actress1930 - Tommy Flanagan , American jazz pianist (d. 2001 )1931 - Betty Johnson , American singer1932 - Don Blasingame , American baseball player and manager (d. 2005 )1932 - Walter Cunningham , American astronaut
1933 - Sandy Weill , American financier and philanthropist1934 - Ray Hnatyshyn , Governor-General of Canada (d. 2002 )1935 - Teresa Berganza , Spanish soprano1936 - Fred Neil , American singer-songwriter (d. 2001 )1937 - Amos Tversky , Israeli psychologist (d. 1996 )1939 - Carlos Bilardo , Argetinian football coach1940 - Bernardo Bertolucci , Italian film director1940 - Jan Pronk , Dutch politician
1940 - Keith Rowe , English guitarist (AMM ) and painter
1941 - Robert Guéï , ruler of Côte d'Ivoire (d. 2002 )1941 - Chuck Woolery , American game show host
1942 - James Soong , Taiwanese politician1942 - Jerry Jeff Walker , American musician
1942 - Roger Crozier , Canadian ice hockey goaltender (d. 1996 )
1943 - Ursula Goodenough , Evolutionary Scholar, Cell Biologist1943 - Kim Mu-saeng , South Korean actor (d. 2005 )
1946 - Michael Basman , English chess master1946 - Hubert Soudant , Dutch conductor
1947 - Ramzan Paskayev , Chechen accordionist1948 - Michael Bruce , American musician. Guitarist and keyboard player for Alice Cooper 1948 - Margaret Weis , American author
1948 - Richard Desjardins , Quebec singer, songwriter and film director
1949 - Erik Estrada , Puerto Rican actor1949 - Elliott Murphy , American Singer-Songwriter1949 - Victor Garber , Canadian actor
1950 - Kate Nelligan , Canadian actress1951 - Joe DeLamielleure , American football player1952 - Philippe Kahn , French-American entrepreneur1953 - Isabelle Huppert , French actress1953 - Richard Stallman , American free software activist
1954 - Jimmy Nail , British actor and singer1954 - Nancy Wilson , American guitarist, singer, and actress (Heart )
1955 - Jiro Watanabe , Japanese boxer1955 - Bruno Barreto , Brazilian film director
1958 - Jorge Ramos , Mexican TV anchor1959 - Flavor Flav , American rapper1959 - Jens Stoltenberg , Prime Minister of Norway
1960 - Duane Sutter , Canadian ice hockey player1961 - Todd McFarlane , Canadian cartoonist, comic book writer, artist, and media entrepreneur1961 - Brett Kenny , Australian rugby league footballer
1963 - Jimmy Degrasso , American musician, drummer1963 - Kevin Smith , New Zealand actor (d. 2002 )
1964 - Patty Griffin , American singer and songwriter1964 - Gore Verbinski , American movie director
1964 - Pascal Richard , Swiss cyclist
1965 - Richard Daniel Roman , English songwriter and record producer1965 - Belén Rueda , Spanish actress
1967 - Lauren Graham , American actress1968 - Ananya Khare , Indian actress and teacher1970 - Paul Oscar (Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson), Icelandic pop singer, songwriter and disc jockey1971 - Alan Tudyk , American actor1973 - Brant Bjork , American musician (Kyuss )1974 - Georgios Anatolakis , Greek footballer1974 - Fotini Vavatsi , Greek archer
1975 - Sienna Guillory , English actress1976 - Abraham Núñez , Dominican baseball player1976 - Paul Schneider , American actor
1976 - Nick Spano , American actor
1977 - Donal Óg Cusack , Irish hurler1979 - Edison Méndez , Ecuadorian footballer1979 - Rashad Moore , National Football League player
1979 - Leena Peisa , Finnish musician (Lordi )
1980 - Felipe Reyes , Spanish basketball player1980 - Todd Heap , American football player
1981 - Andrew Bree , Irish swimmer1981 - Curtis Granderson , American baseball player
1983 - Brandon League , American baseball player1984 - Levi Brown , American football player1985 - Nicole Trunfio , Australian supermodel1986 - Ken Doane , American professional wrestler1986 - T. J. Jordan , American basketball player
1987 - Tiiu Kuik , Estonian model1989 - Theo Walcott , English footballer1989 - Peaches Geldof , English Dosser
1991 - Wolfgang Van Halen , American musician1994 - Sierra McClain , American actress and singer
Deaths
37 - Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar , Roman Emperor (b. 46 BC )455 - Valentinian III , Roman Emperor (b. 419 )1021 - Heribert of Cologne , Archbishop of Cologne and Chancellor of Emperor Otto III 1037 - Robert I , Archbishop of Rouen 1072 - Adalbert of Hamburg , German archbishop1322 - Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford , English soldier (b. 1276 )1410 - John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (b. 1373 )1457 - László Hunyadi , Hungarian statesman and warrior (b. 1433 )1485 - Anne Neville , queen of Richard III of England (b. 1456 )1559 - Anthony St. Leger , Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1496 )1649 - St. Jean de Brébeuf , French Jesuit missionary (b. 1593 )1620 - St. John Sarkander , Moravian priest, died of injuries caused by torturing 1679 - John Leverett , Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1616 )1721 - James Craggs the Elder , English politician (b. 1657 )1736 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi , Italian composer (b. 1710 )1737 - Benjamin Wadsworth , President of Harvard University (b. 1670 )1738 - George Bähr , German architect (b. 1666 )1747 - Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst , father of Catherine II of Russia (b. 1690 )1888 - Hippolyte Carnot , French statesman (b. 1801 )1890 - Zorka of Montenegro , Princess of Serbia (b. 1864 )1892 - Samuel F. Miller , American politician (b. 1827 )1898 - Aubrey Beardsley , British artist (b. 1872 )1899 - Joseph Medill , mayor of Chicago (b. 1823 )1903 - Roy Bean , American jurist1914 - Charles Albert Gobat , Swiss politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1843 )1926 - Sergeant Stubby , decorated World War I dog1930 - Miguel Primo de Rivera , Spanish dictator (b. 1870 )1935 - John James Richard Macleod , Scottish-born physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876 )1935 - Aron Nimzowitsch , Latvian-born chess player (b. 1886 )
1936 - Marguerite Durand , French journalist and feminist (b. 1864 )1940 - Selma Lagerlöf , Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858 )1945 - Börries von Münchhausen , German poet (b. 1874 )1955 - Nicolas de Staël , French-Russian painter (b. 1914 )1957 - Constantin Brancusi , Romanian sculptor (b. 1876 )1961 - Chen Geng , Chinese military leader (b. 1903 )1968 - Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco , Italian composer (b. 1895 )1968 - Gunnar Ekelöf , Swedish poet and writer (b. 1907 )
1970 - Tammi Terrell , American singer (b. 1946 )1971 - Thomas Dewey , American presidential candidate (b. 1902 )1975 - Richard W. DeKorte , American politician (b. 1936 )1975 - T-Bone Walker , American musician (b. 1910 )
1977 - Kamal Jumblatt , leader of the Lebanese Druze (b. 1917 )1979 - Jean Monnet , French politician (b. 1888 )1980 - Tamara de Lempicka , Polish-born painter (b. 1898 )1983 - Arthur Godfrey , American actor and television host (b. 1903 )1983 - Fred Rose , Canadian politician (b. 1907 )
1984 - John Hoagland , American photographer (b. 1947 )1985 - Eddie Shore , Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1902 )1992 - Yves Rocard , French physicist (b. 1903 )1992 - Roger Lemelin , Quebec novelist and television writer (b. 1919 )
1993 - Johnny Cymbal , American singer and producer (b. 1945 )1996 - Charlie Barnett , American actor (b. 1954 )1998 - Derek Harold Richard Barton , British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1918 )1999 - Gratien Gélinas , Quebec playwright and director (b. 1909 )2000 - Thomas Ferebee , Hiroshima bombardier (b. 1918 )2001 - Norma MacMillan , Canadian actress (b. 1921 )2001 - Bob Wollek , French race car driver (b. 1943 )
2003 - Rachel Corrie , American political activist (b. 1979 )2003 - Ronald Ferguson , father of Sarah, Duchess of York (b. 1931 )
2004 - Vilém Tauský , Czech conductor and composer (b. 1910 )2005 - Todd Bell , American football player (b. 1958 )2005 - Ralph Erskine , British architect (Byker Wall ) (b. 1914 )
2005 - Anthony George , American TV actor (b. 1921 )
2005 - Allan Hendrickse , South African politician (b. 1927 )
2005 - Dick Radatz , American baseball player (b. 1937 )
2006 - David Feintuch , American sci-fi author (b. 1944 )2007 - Manjural Islam , Bangladeshi cricketer (b. 1984 )2008 - Bill Brown , Australian cricketer (b. 1912 )2008 - Ola Brunkert , Swedish session drummer for ABBA (b. 1946 )
2008 - Gary Hart , American professional wrestling manager and wrestler (b. 1942 )
2008 - G. David Low , American astronaut (b. 1956 )
2008 - John Hewer , Actor famous for portraying Captain Birdseye in British commercials. (b. 1922 )
Holidays and observances
External links
